You’ve been working on getting your financial information together for your tax return. All those papers have bubbled to the top! Which ones should you keep?

The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) says it can’t tell you when it is safe to throw away financial documents. They do say to keep the information as long as the IRS can assess you additional taxes. Right now, that is approximately seven years. Laws change. Always check with your CPA for the latest laws.

Credit Card Statements:  FDIC says to save the statements for one year, unless they have tax significance. I save mine for years if I have purchased a big item. If there is a fire or other disaster that affects my personal property, I can prove to the insurance company and/or the IRS that I did have the item and how much it was worth at time of purchase.

Bank Account Statements:  Check with your financial institution and determine how far back they keep statements available to you.

Canceled Checks:  Again if purchases are tax related, keep canceled checks seven years. If they are related to your house purchase, renovations or big items that you purchased, I keep the canceled checks in a file just for those things — and keep them indefinitely. If I sell the house, I will keep them seven years longer.

Banks are required to keep copies of checks for seven years.

Deposit, ATM, credit card and debit card receipts:  FDIC reminds us to save them until the transaction appears on a statement and you know the amount is correct. If it is for a big item and it has a warranty, save the receipt at least until the warranty is up. Remember, you might want to save it longer for insurance and/or IRS reasons, if there is a disaster.

Electronic Records:  Make sure you back up your data. Technology is always changing. Make sure you are using a method that allows the information to be retrieved.

Use the method of filing important papers that works for you and keeps everything organized and safe.

For more consumer tips from Better Business Bureau of Southern Arizona visit www. tucson.bbb.org.

With the UofA basketball team once again making it to the NCAA Tournament, Better Business Bureau of Southern Arizona is warning Southern Arizonans who are keen to buy NCAA Tournament merchandise, or will be traveling to the games, about scams related to March Madness.

Major sporting events like the NCAA tournament almost always inspire scammers to capitalize on the scarcity of tickets and fans’ desire to snap up souvenirs or team jerseys. BBB advises fans to check out offers before spending their hard-earned cash.
Craigslist has thousands of sports tickets listed, but the site doesn’t offer guarantees and sellers don’t have to provide identification to list tickets. If you decide to try buying a ticket outside the event, remember that there are no refunds or guarantees there, either. Official NCAA ticket information is available at http://www.ncaa.com/tickets.

BBB’s website, www.bbb.org, lists reputable, secondary market ticket firms that provide buyer protections, including money-back guarantees if tickets are fake. On some sites, sellers also must provide credit card numbers so the site can charge a seller’s card for the cost of replacement tickets if they sell fake tickets.

While counterfeit items may seem like a good deal, they are actually stolen goods. If you love your team, don’t buy a hat or jersey from someone who has stolen the team’s name and logo for their own profit.

Many counterfeit items are more cheaply made than genuine merchandise, which means they may not last as long as the real thing. Buying counterfeit memorabilia online poses even more potential problems. Some websites don’t even have merchandise to sell. They just want your credit card number and personal information so they can steal your identity or drain your bank account.

The best way to ensure you are getting official sports gear is to buy directly from the team or league websites, from official vendors at the stadium or from other trusted stores.

BBB advises fans to ask lots of questions and be wary of any offer that requires wiring money or using Green Dot cards. When you send money by wire, it is almost impossible to get it back or to trace the recipient, who may be overseas.

In addition to ticket scams and counterfeit merchandise, beware of cyber scams that take advantage of the large interest in March Madness by poisoning search results related to the tournament with malware that can infect computers and put consumers’ personal information at risk.

BBB tips for avoiding scams connected to special events:

• Read ads carefully to understand what is being offered and what the price will be.
• Be wary of ticket offers at extreme discount prices. If it sounds too good to be true, it most likely is!
• Ask the seller where he or she is located and how he or she may be contacted after the sale. If the seller is evasive, don’t pursue the offer.
• When booking hotels, ask for the name, address and phone number of the hotel where the room is located, and call the hotel to verify that the room actually exists. Check the hotel’s website or a reputable travel site to be sure that the location is convenient for getting to and from the arena.
• Be wary of ads that pile on incentives to make the package look better. Often the items – such as lanyards, T-shirts or other trinkets – have limited value.
• Use a credit card. A credit card company can assist you with obtaining a refund if the offer turns out to be fraudulent.

For more consumer news or to find a business you can trust, visit www.tucson.bbb.org.

The Federal Trade Commission released a series of video tips to help you protect your personal information online. The videos are available at OnGuardOnline.gov, the federal government’s site to help computer users be safe, secure and responsible.

The new video Using Public Wi-Fi Networks, explains that most public Wi-Fi hotspots don’t encrypt information you send through the network. So, if you login to an unsecured website — say a social networking site — or enter personal information in a web form, you may be sharing that information with others on the network. Hackers could use the information to hijack your accounts, or to impersonate you.

When using Wi-Fi, it’s important to know that secure hotspots require a password, and secure websites begin with “https.”

In addition, the FTC has released three other new videos available on OnGuardOnline.gov:
• Computer Security provides simple steps to help you protect yourself and your computer from scammers, hackers, and identity thieves.
• Online Shopping Tips can help you get the best deal and avoid unnecessary hassles.
• Protect Your Computer from Malware provides tips on how to avoid, detect, and get rid of viruses and spyware that get installed on your computer without your consent.

OnGuardOnline.gov is a partner in the The Stop.Think.Connect. Campaign™, which is led by the Department of Homeland Security and aims to increase the understanding of cyber threats and empower the American public to be safer and more secure online. The Federal Trade Commission manages OnGuardOnline.gov in partnership with other federal agencies.

The specific URLs for the website and each subject are listed below:

www.onguardonline.gov/

www.onguardonline.gov/media/video-0080-public-wi-fi-networks

www.onguardonline.gov/media/video-0081-computer-security

www.onguardonline.gov/media/video-0082-online-shopping-tips

www.onguardonline.gov/media/video-0056-protect-your-computer-malware

For for more information about online security call Better Business Bureau of Southern Arizona at (520)888-5353 or visit www.tucson.bbb.org.